Listen & Do: John Luther Adams’ Strange and Sacred Noise

If you didn’t know the title of this piece, would it make a difference in how you hear it? Noise implies… what? As opposed to music? Is noise music? This piece will also be performed outdoors in a space not normally used for music at this year’s festival. Whereas John Luther Adams’ songbirdsong or Inuksuit seem to be conversations with the environment, Strange and Sacred Noise seems to pierce its surroundings, argue with it, demand attention. So a question: does this “noise” need a physical space with which to argue? If so, what is the role of the space?

Another question: the album cover for the recording of this piece shows a volcano erupting. Does the image change the way you listen to the music? Did the image force you to hear the music in a different way? Is that good or bad?

This Class: Music and Place

This class is made up of nine videos (from 2-7 minutes in length each) and four Listen & Dos. You can do them sequentially or in whatever order you wish. Discussions are attached to each segment, and there's an open thread discussion below in this column. You can hear excerpts from most of the pieces from this year's festival here.

LINKS

Next Class

Class #3: Dance and Music, a Love Story (It’s a little more complicated than that)
For many, it’s tough to imagine dance without music; the two are inextricably linked. So does dance come out of music? And if so, is dance a subordinate art? Or is it a more subtle than that – a collaboration, a partnership or dialogue? We’ll explore the relationship.
(class goes live May 29, 2013 @noon PDT)

About OjaiU

Concerts are more than a collection of pieces. Festivals are more than a bunch of concerts stacked in a row. The context that surrounds music - where you hear it, when you hear it, who plays it, the music that you hear next to it - all affects the … [Read More...]